Thus far, a total five former members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have been convicted of a string of civil rights abuses pertaining to the vicious beating of jail visitor Gabriel Carrillo, and a post-beating conspiracy to falsify criminal charges against Carrillo in order to cover up the abuse.
On Friday afternoon, however, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced a a brand new three-count indictment against a sixth former department member, Byron Dredd, 33, who is charged with conspiracy to violate Gabriel Carrillo’s civil rights, plus two counts of making false reports.
Dredd, along with the other defendants previously convicted, was assigned to the Visiting Center at Men’s Central Jail. On February 26, 2011, Carillo and his girlfriend went to the jail to visit Carillo’s incarcerated brother (who coincidentally had also been beaten by department members. Albeit, in the brother’s case, the beating reportedly occurred in the course of his arrest.)
The incident began when Carrillo, his mother, and his girlfriend (now his wife) went to downtown jails’ visiting center to see the brother, who had been injured during his arrest, causing family members to worry. As it happens, both Carrillo and the girlfriend had cell phones in their possession, which is prohibited under jail rules. When the phones were discovered, Carrillo was handcuffed and brought into an employee break room, where he was beaten, kicked and sprayed with a burning agent similar to pepper spray. His injuries were severe enough that he was later transferred to the hospital by paramedics. As a result of false statements made by the previously convicted deputies and allegedly made by Dredd, in addition to being pounded on while handcuffed by multiple department members, Carrillo was charged with several crimes, including resisting an officer and battery.
The indictment against Dredd alleges that he wrote an incident report in which he falsely claimed that Carrillo was not, in fact, handcuffed, and that he attacked one of the deputies then attempted to escape—although Dredd, allegedly, knew otherwise.
“The Department of Justice will continue to hold accountable individuals who abuse their positions as law enforcement officers by committing crimes or by trying to cover them up,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker, in a statement released Friday afternoon. “While this former deputy sheriff allegedly participated in a scheme to violate the civil rights of a man who had to be hospitalized after he was beaten by other deputies, his actions should not reflect on the good work performed by the overwhelming majority of Los Angeles deputy sheriffs.”
If convicted, Dredd could face a penalty of up to 10 years for the civil rights conspiracy, up to 20 years for the falsification of records, and up to five years for making false statements to the FBI, totaling a maximum sentence of 35 years in federal prison.
And the beat goes on.
Well, AUSA, you claim you are going to hold folks accountable? Fine and dandy with these charges, but how about the sergeants, lieutenants, captain and above up to Tanaka for their role of cover up and Custody Division corruption? Then, how about all of the executives for their dirty deeds of kickbacks and corruption. What are you waiting for?
US DA, you want to impress people, indict Baca. I’m pretty sure there is far more evidence for his indictment than this boot deputy.
Vernolas is to A/S Rothens
What Haddicks is to Commander Claus.
Funny thing, they both got the same type of Graft and favor from the owners of the tow companies.
With all the exposure and breakout stories on etiquette, ethics and transparent transactions, the deputies of Los Angeles County have yet been informed that the computers of ALADS Attorney (Richard Shinee) have been hacked and compromised. This should be of major concern, due to the fact that deputies personal information is elsewhere in someone’s hand. For anyone (ALADS Board of Directors or Reps) who wants to hold Dick’s feet to the fire, ask him or his staff about this and the “Bitcoin” ransom.
This is not hyperbole to pile more malfeasance on ALADS, but to inform deputies who deserve better . I’ll bet the Barn and the Bank on its validity.
@JR, please expand and expound of what you know about Claus and Haddicks. It is time the ranks, all ranks, rise up and expose Tanaka’s “hand selected” management team for (when applicable) who and what they are. To sit back and shut up while the LASD arrogance and pompous Mussolini management types strut around like Tanaka is still running the show, is unacceptable on our part. It’s obvious that the Sheriff has absolutely no intention of doing anything he promised during his “campaign of reform.” It is quite obvious based on promotions and McDonnell’s inaction, Cindy Chang at the Times and Witness LA, are our only hope. It took one weekend for Rothans to see the light. It took one story in the Times, just one, for the tip of Rothans shady past, not his facade, to be exposed. It took one story and one weekend to purge the executive ranks of an Assistant Sheriff who would toss you to the sharks at Case Review, preach ethics to all, then meet a contract tow owner for lunch and broker one hell of a deal. “We” have the bully pulpit, it is time we start using it, for cause. Otherwise, do as you have been doing for the last twelve years or so; Sit down and shut up. Celeste and Cindy will protect us.
P.S. My suggestion did not come easy, I considered long and hard about what I am suggesting, never in a million years did think I would ever have to utter such thoughts. And it was with a heavy heart I typed those words. I have been part of an organization over three decades and I watched it dismantled brick by brick by an untethered tyrant by the name of Paul Tanaka under the nose of an embarrassment of a Sheriff by the name of Leroy “Core Values” Baca. My hopes for reform by Jim McDonnell are long gone, vanished, adios. Oh, he will deal with something brought to his attention or forced to his attention by the media. But “reform” as we expected, I’m convinced it will never happen, particularly in view of those he has surrounded himself with, promoted and retained. Before I bug out, I want to see institutional, cultural change inside LASD. It won’t come from those he has promoted. Is a Chongo Fighter going to talk about to their troops about ethics and integrity without causing subordinates to vomit? Is a Tanaka Cigar Club Coin Holder and Tanaka campaign cash collector and bundler going to echo Sheriff McDonnell’s message of loyalty and expectations without causing large groups of subordinates to gather and say, “Can you believe this crap he is spewing? He was Tanaka’s personal shakedown artist and bag man.” Are those who reportedly provided Tanaka insiders an opportunity to “take a little peak” at promotional exams going to now tell us how we are to eat the cabbage based on the Sheriff’s direction, with a straight face? The decision of where we go now is up to us.
@ FYI. I am not shocked or surprised. I have the inkling that it is more closer to the truth than not. The problem is that any deputy with access to Shinee will never confront him (especially at a rep meeting ) and if they do, the “Hard Question” will be rebuked or at the minimum downplayed. A true deposition would be a start. He definitely would have his chonies in a bunch. Dick Shinee and his Gumby figures & puppets remind me of the book “Den of Thieves”.
@Time – I applaud your courage in stepping up and making this conclusion public. I agree with you, and I have also come to that very same conclusion after many tortured years of trying to change it via lawful means. The LASD executive cadre remains the same – just as if Tanaka were still running the department. Looking at McDonnell’s promotions of Tanaka loyalists and coin-holding executives – it appears that this may in fact be true.
It is time for the true heart of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to take action, to assist the FBI with exposing the corrupt executives and their crimes along with the crimes of their lower ranked “henchmen” and “henchwomen”. They have operated so far out of the realm of law, and we have seen it occur nearly every day. It is further evidenced by the fact that the retaliatory acts, set in motion by Tanaka so many years ago, continues today, unfettered! The fact that these corrupt executives are allowed to continue to operate outside of the law, is something we all did not anticipate or expect. We had hoped that the new Sheriff would make positive changes, and would cause the executives of the department to adhere to the law from his election forward. Unfortunately that did not happen. Sadly we see that the new Sheriff is only interested in maintaining the former status quo.
This department has been in a serious decline of ethics and legality for much of the Baca/Tanaka 15 years’ rule. It is no secret that the vast number of allegations, accusations and investigations caused by this duo over the years, served to spin the LASD out of control. A simple Google search will attest to this, and is quite an interesting read.
To see this once great law enforcement agency, yet again be the leader in law enforcement ethics, has been worth the effort and personal sacrifice to fight this corruption. We only want to see the LASD once again be a leader in law enforcement services and a true working, and trustworthy partner to other law enforcement agencies. For the FBI to actively decide not to include notifying the LASD about a corruption operation in their own shop, speaks volumes. The LASD corrupt executives could absolutely not be trusted by other law enforcement agencies to conduct a legitimate and thorough internal investigation, without actively compromising it.
Only together, can we bring “the light of day” to the remaining corruption. They only way the department will ever change is if each of us stand up and say “This is not right and it is not lawful – I won’t be a party to this any longer.” At this point in time, we are the only ones who can make this happen.
I want to thank Celeste for hosting this blog, and for giving employees of the LASD the only means to air these horrific issues of corruption. She has provided a safe forum for airing or “reporting” these issues without cover-up or destruction of the reporting employee (such as results in a report to LASD).
Lonestar Justice ………The information that you have concerning a murder and cover up should go straight to the Attorney General Office. The day of reckoning and exposure in now here.
FYI. The Law Offices of Green & Shinee also has files and personal information on the Deputy District Attorneys of Los Angeles County and Pasadena Police Officer.
Coincidentally Pasadena Police Department had a cover up case by their P.O.A. and Shinee which was exposed after shooting and killing a teenager in Pasadena. Trust me folks….it’s all there. You can Google this information.
You guys are pathetic!!!!!